National forum on environmental water management

Scientists, policy makers and water managers from across Australia have gathered at the National Museum in Canberra for a national forum on environmental water management, to review the state of the nation’s scientific knowledge in this area, and to determine who will lead and undertake the vital future research needed by policy makers and practitioners alike.

Jointly sponsored by Land & Water Australia (LWA), the National Water Commission, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, the forum will discuss water allocation in highly regulated river systems, such as the Murray-Darling, how to manage flows in unregulated rivers, and how science can best inform water allocation and planning.

Interest in the forum was so great the seating capacity was more than doubled, from 70 to 150 places, and attendance had to be capped. There was a waiting list of those hoping a place would become available. Dr Michael Robinson, Executive Director of Land & Water Australia, welcomed the participants to what he said is a forum that clearly comes at a critical time for environmental water management in Australia.

“This forum brings scientists together with practitioners and policy makers to discuss the key findings of our research and the implications of this research for managing flows. Over the past five years, the LWA Environmental Water Allocation program has funded many of the best scientists working in the area of environmental water management. The momentum of this research for restoring our streams and rivers, the lifeblood of this continent, should not be lost," Robinson said.

“Therefore, potentially the most urgent function of this forum will be to discuss the future of environmental flows research. With Land & Water Australia being abolished, we need to identify who will come forward to take the lead on this important issue. Once the gaps in our knowledge are identified, who will undertake to fill the gaps and continue to build the capacity of people on the ground?

“It is the hope of Land & Water Australia that this forum will provide the platform to answer these questions.”

Key researchers speaking at the forum include Professor Richard Kingsford, a recent recipient of the Australian Government Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science, who is currently undertaking a project funded by Land & Water Australia exploring the management of environmental flows in the Macquarie River.

Land & Water Australia International Fellow Dr Larry Barber, from Colorado, USA, will also be a guest speaker at the forum, speaking about water quality and the implications of hormone-disrupting chemicals for our environment.